Strap buckle



p 1959 J. EAVES 2,904,867

STRAP BUCKLE Filed March '7, 1956 INVENTOR JAMES C. EAVES A 1 1 GRNEY Sate Paefi 6 STRAP BUCKLE James C. Eaves, Lexington, Ky. Application March 7, 1956, Serial No. 570,063

7 1 Claim. c1. 24-415 This invention relates to an improved strap buckle especially suitable for use in fastening straps of relatively thin or fragile material such as employed on garments, shoes, wrist watches or the like. In its broader aspects, however, the invention may be employed for heavy duty usages such as in harness binding, load carrying straps and similar applications.

Numerous arrangements of buckles having means for securely holding the conventional perforated strap in fixed, taut positionare known but so faras I am aware, all such arrangements depend upon a heavyfrictional engagement of the buckle structure with the strap material with the result that,after a period of use, the strap material becomes disfigured, frayed or broken. This disadvantage is particularly noticeable in connection with the .presently popular plastic or fragile fabric straps employed on womens shoes or wearing apparel.

In contrast, my invention includes among its objects the provision of an improvedstrap buckle adapted to hold or lock a strap firmly in taut position by engagement of a locking member therewith and without damaging the strap material; the provision of a strap buckle which may readily disengage a taut strap by pivotal movement of a locking member; the provision of a strap buckle having an improved protecting tongue guard and guide :member; the provision of a strap buckle requiring no supplemental keeper for the free end of the strap; and the provision of a strap buckle presenting a pleasing ornamental appearance. Other objects and advantages will become more apparent as the description proceeds .and when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved buckle with the locking member in fully opened position and with the strap omitted for purposes of clarity.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section view of the buckle :shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the buckle shown in Fig. 1 and with the locking member shown in closed position.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section view of the buckle shown in Fig. 3 and with the strap in position and representing the combination just before the strap is pulled into closing taut position or just as the taut strap is being unlocked preparatory to disengaging the buckle and strap.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the strap and buckle with the strap in taut position.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified buckle showing the locking member in fully open position; and

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the buckle of Fig. 6 with the strap in taut position.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the invention preferably employs a conventional rigid buckle frame comprising spaced side bars 10 and 11. These side bars are joined by spaced front, rear and central crossbars respectively shown at 12, 13 and 1-4, thus providing strap receiving openings through which a conventional perforated strap may be threaded. I prefer to employ a rear crossbar having a substantial area of smooth flat undersurface rather a; ice

2 than using a roller or arcuate shaped crossbar which gives only a line contact with .the strap surface.

Mounted upon the central crossbar adjacent its midpoint is a conventional tongue member 15 adapted to extend through a selected aperture in the perforated strap and to rest upon the front crossbar. As a result of em ploying the protecting guard and guide member now to be described, this tongue may be pivotally mounted in a relatively loose manner without danger of damage to the strap through wear or careless usage. As a significant part of my invention, I provide a dual purpose protecting member having a strap locking feature and a tongue guard and guide feature, this member being pivotally mounted upon the front crossbar. As will be seen from the several figures, the member serves not only to protect against undesired loosening of a strap once fixed in taut position, but also protects against snagging of other objects by an otherwise exposed tongue. Moreover, due to the pivoted mounting, it serves as a reliable lever means for initiating the unbuckling of the strap when that action is desired. In general, the member preferably is so pivoted and mounted with respect to the location of the undersurface of crossbar 13 as to permit the taut strap to lie in a single plane between the points of its engagement with the member and the rear crossbar.

This dual purpose member may comprise an arcuate sleeve 20 substantially completely surrounding that portion of the front crossbar intermediate the side bars and adapted for movement only in a rotary direction with respect to the crossbar. Adjacent its central position the sleeve has a generally triangular cut-away area 21 with cam like side sections, vas shown in Fig. 1, into which the free end or tongue 15 is guided. As the combined structure is rotated into the closed position of Fig. 3 the free end of the tongue is confined within the cut away area 21 and a strap engaged with that tongue is automatically centered with respect to front cross bar 12.

I prefer to employ a protecting member formed of one piece of material such as metal and with a configuration generally shielding a major portion of the buckle frame area, as seen in Fig. 3. At the edge adjacent sleeve 20 the member is provided with a central depression 22, Fig. 1, of sufficient size to enclose the end of the tongue. When viewed from the top, Fig. 3, a smooth ornamental raised portion 23 is seen.

As an essential part of my invention, the length of the protecting member is less than the distance between the front and rear crossbars of the frame, although the width may vary as desired. For example, the width may be equal to; less than; or greater than the distance between the side bars of the frame. In a preferred form of protecting member an elongated slot 24 having a dimension suitable to receive the width of the strap is provided, which slot is located in the protecting member at a location giving a substantial area of strap contacting surface 25 between that slot and the outer edge of the member. Preferably the surface 25 is flat and smooth, to the end that a strap of fragile material will not be marred or scuffed by repeated frictional engagements with surface 25.

With the foregoing description in mind, reference now is made to Fig. 4 in which the usual anchored portion 30 of a strap is attached to central crossbar 14 of the buckle frame and the adjustable portion 31 of the strap is threaded under the front crossbar 12 of that frame. The strap portion 31 is engaged by tongue 15; extends through slot 24 from the underside; rests upon frictional surface 25 and extends along the second frictional surface on the underside of the rear crossbar 13. When pulled taut by its free end 32, the strap pivots the above described protecting and locking member from the intermediate position of Fig. 4 into locking position, meanwhile placing a measure of tension upon the underside of the free end of the strap. The 'free end of the strap therefore tends to lie snugly against the anchored strap portion 30 and the need fora separate keeper uponportion 30 is obviated.

With'the strap infth'e'loc'ked position o'fFig. 5, theunlocking may be readily accomplished by grasping the two sides ofthe combined structureand pivotingthe same upwardly about its mounting on the front crossbar. At this time the free end of the strap is pulled Tearwardly under crossbar l'3into the position of Fig. 4 and then may be readily lifted from further engagement therewith. It will be noted that no pushing on the end '32 of the strap is required.

Various modifications of the combined protecting and locking structure 'may be employed without departing from the invention. One such modification, shown in Figs. 6 and 7, may comprise a structure having a nonsymmetrical top portion without an enclosed slot, but arranged for transverse hooking of the free end of the strap upon the structure. For example, a flathook member 40 may be mounted upon the lower side of the structure in spaced relation thereto. This hook is of a size and configuration suitable for giving a substantial area of contact with the underside of the strap. As inthe preferred form of structure the tongue guard and guide features are employed and the modified structure is also pivotally mounted upon the front crossbar of the buckle frame.

While I have shownparticular embodiments of my .invention, it will be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made; and I therefore contemplate by the appended claims to cover any such modifications as fall within'the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A strap buckle comprising side bars and spaced front, rear and central crossbars defining strap-receivingopenings therethrough to receive a perforated strap, a tongue member pivotally mounted upon said central crossbar for engagement through a perforation with a strap pass ing under each of the front and rear crossbars and over the central crossbar, said rear crossbar having a substantial area of smooth flat undersurface for contact with said strap, and a protecting and locking shield member pivotally mounted at one transverse edge upon said front crossbar and having a shielding surface covering the end of said tongue projecting through said strap, said shield member having an integral hooklike portion extending transversely of, said strap from one lateraledge of said shield .member and adapted to engage the undersurface of said strap intermediate the engagement of said strap with said front and rear crossbars, said shield member having a cutaway portion adjacent the junction of the other transverse edge and the other lateral edge of said shield member thereby providing a space into and from which the strap while .engaged with said tongue member may be slipped transversely during the respective buckling and unbuckling thereof, said strap while in contact with. said hook portion being adapted to be pulled Itaut be tween said front .and rear crossbars and to be held secure ly by a substantial'frictional engagement with the surfaces of said hook portion and said rear crossbar.

References Cited, the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

